What should children do if they eat their hands?

The first year after birth is called oral sex, which is the first basic stage of personality development. They have a strong need for security, and the need for sucking is very strong, especially at bedtime. Breastfeeding or eating bottles can meet the needs of children in many aspects. Breastfeeding not only gives children nutrition, but also warm milk. The warmth of the mother can give children psychological comfort. When children feel stressed, nervous and have uncomfortable teeth, and want to feel the taste of sucking their fingers, they will suck their fingers. Many parents worry that their children suck their fingers unsanitary and may eat a lot of bacteria. In fact, what children get at this stage will be put in their mouths. In contrast, the bacteria eaten by sucking your fingers can be described as minimal, as long as you pay attention to the necessary hygiene. This is a unique way for children to know the world. Don't take it by force and don't make a fuss.

Many children don't suck their fingers or other things until they are three and a half years old, unless they occasionally feel tired or find themselves having nothing to do, at a loss, and temporarily feel uneasy. If children continue to suck their fingers after the age of 4, or even form a habit, parents must pay attention. Because these children may suck too long or too hard, so that the palate pushes up, affecting the neat arrangement of the upper row of teeth. In this case, parents often directly stop their children from sucking their fingers, but they will soon find little effect. If parents watch carefully, they will find that such children often feel unhappy or disappointed in other aspects or things and concentrate on sucking their fingers instead. Parents should pay attention to find out the crux of their children's unhappiness and give them more care and love, which is more effective than directly interfering with his sucking behavior. Some parents take inappropriate measures, such as fixing their children's hands, coating their children with smelly things, or putting on gloves, which not only have little effect, but also hurt their hearts intentionally or unintentionally.

The baby's understanding of the world begins with the mouth. The hand is just an external thing for the baby whose brain is not fully developed, not an organ of his own body. So babies often eat their hands, chew toys and bite skirts with their mouths. Babies suck their fingers, and parents should be happy for their progress. From sucking the whole hand to sucking a finger skillfully, this shows that the child's brain has greatly improved its ability to control its own movements, which can promote the coordination of brain, hand and eye.

To solve this problem, it is necessary to analyze the psychology of children sucking their fingers and prescribe the right medicine according to their age:

1. Finger sucking-when it is characterized by long time, concentration and strong desire to suck.

In infancy, the baby is in the stage of perceiving the world with his mouth. If you don't get proper satisfaction and care, you will easily develop bad habits such as biting your nails and smoking when you grow up, and even be irritable, psychologically anxious and lack of trust in people.

If children eat their fingers intently for a long time, mothers must shift their attention from their fingers to colorful things such as toys and picture books by soothing them, so that children can learn more about other things, which is also very important for the development of the brain.

For individual children, the desire to suck is particularly strong. If you can't meet the demand by hugging, touching, toys, etc. It is suggested that mothers borrow fake pacifiers. With its help, babies can generally avoid sucking their fingers. However, it should be noted that fake nipples can never replace the care from parents. Once a child is found sucking his fingers, he will put the pacifier into his mouth irresponsibly, instead of looking for the real need of the child to suck. This will be counterproductive, which will make the child rely more on the pacifier to comfort himself and adjust his mood, thus hindering the normal growth of the child.

2. Suck your fingers-relieve inner anxiety and insecurity.

Babies in infancy are usually both curious and afraid of the world. If you encounter some unexpected events, such as falling to the ground, it is easy for children to feel insecure and anxious.

After the child has been playing alone for a period of time, if there is crying and irritability, he should hold the child in his arms in time, gently touch the child's back with his hand and talk to him softly, which will bring a cordial and pleasant feeling to the child.

3. Suck your fingers-the mother is not feeding properly.

When we are breastfeeding, because of the improper posture of holding the child, we can't let the child lie comfortably in our arms, or the feeding method is incorrect, and the feeding speed is too fast to satisfy the child's desire to suck. Even if the baby is full, he is not fully satisfied psychologically, so he will satisfy his own needs by sucking his fingers. This requires us not to be impatient when feeding, and wait for the child to spit out the nipple on his own initiative before leaving. Observe the child's expression while feeding, see if he has a sense of satisfaction, and experience the child's small physical changes with his arms and whether it is comfortable to lie down. If the baby can already drink the milk in the bottle, then it must be noted that the bottle mouth size must be moderate. If it is too big, the baby will not get enough satisfaction in the process of drinking milk, which will lead to the baby eating fingers.

Expert tips

Although it is normal for infants to eat their fingers, they generally follow the principle of letting nature take its course. However, if children have this habit for other reasons, parents should never stand by and realize it as soon as possible to smooth their young hearts.

Someone once investigated 2650 babies and found that 46% of them had the habit of eating fingers. There is no significant difference between boys and girls, so there are not a few children with this habit. The famous psychologist Freud called the first year after birth "oral period", which is the first basic stage of personality development. At this stage, if parents can follow the needs of physical development, such as the habit of eating fingers before going to bed, they don't have to worry too much. When the child falls asleep, remember to take his fingers out of his mouth. Don't let him eat all night. In the long run, avoid finger deformation. Try to let him sleep with a baby bear or a doll, and slowly correct the child's habits through this alternative method. On the contrary, if parents strongly prevent their children from eating their hands at this time, it will cast a shadow over their psychology. When I grow up, I am prone to anxiety and temper tantrums, and I lack basic trust and security for others.